


and a not-a-pup

by remembermyfic



Series: A Ralph's Life [2]
Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Always a Different Sex, F/M, Rule 63, outsider pov
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-09
Updated: 2019-10-09
Packaged: 2020-11-28 10:10:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,108
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20964824
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/remembermyfic/pseuds/remembermyfic
Summary: “How’s the pup?”“It’s not a pup,” Rover pipes up immediately. “Humans don’t have pups.”Cashew doesn’t roll her eyes, but even Ralph knows it’s a close thing. Her bushy tail twitches though, and it’s almost as good.“Helpless,” Ralph admits, and it feels heavy. “She could get hurt so easily! She can’t even move! Alex and Dylan do ‘tummy time’ with her and it’s just to get her to lift her head off the ground when she’s on her tummy.”





	and a not-a-pup

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Guzmanasol](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Guzmanasol/gifts), [stonesnuggler](https://archiveofourown.org/users/stonesnuggler/gifts).

> If you googled yourself or a friend and got here, turn back now.

Ralph’s become a very light sleeper.

He’s absolutely okay with it. In fact, he wouldn’t have it any other way. He has an important job to do and he can’t be sleeping on it. The tiniest of sounds wakes him up, has him raising his head off his paws. The room is still dim around him so it takes Ralph more than a few beats to realize there is no danger, just movement. Still, the sounds don’t stop. If anything else, they get louder, little by little, until Ralph has his nose pressed between the bars.

Something is wrong.

The door creaks open, and Alex steps in a moment later, looking exhausted. But she’s still his Alex, and Ralph feels his tail wag at her presence.

“Hi buddy,” she greets, and she sounds so tired. Ralph nudges at her gently, because half asleep Alex is bad on her feet. Ralph knows this from experience. She hums as she reaches into the bars, picks up the wiggling infant.

“Hi kitten,” she murmurs, lifting the tiny human into her arms. “Can’t give Mama a night off, can you?”

The baby is definitely demanding. Ralph’s only heard about babies and puppies, because it’s not on his to-do list, and it’s not on Alex or Dylan’s either. But everything he’s heard – mostly from Charlie, the old dog he is – the demand a lot of time and attention. Ralph can speak from experience now.

Alex makes her way to the rocking chair in the corner. She settles into it, even as she shifts the tiny human and takes a deep breath. “Not a diaper,” she murmurs.

Ralph could have told her that. He’s smelled this ‘diaper’ Alex speaks of, when the baby needs a change and it definitely doesn’t smell like a diaper change now. So she sighs and shifts, tucks the baby against her chest. Ralph recognizes the signs of settling in and lays at Alex’s feet. His chin falls to rest on her foot and they both settle in for the long haul.

“How’s the pup?”

“It’s not a pup,” Rover pipes up immediately. “Humans don’t have pups.”

Cashew doesn’t roll her eyes, but even Ralph knows it’s a close thing. Her bushy tail twitches though, and it’s almost as good.

He rests his snout on his paws, settling onto the ground. Autumn is always a perfect time of year, because it’s not too hot, everyone’s back in Chicago, including their new addition. “Helpless,” Ralph admits, and it feels heavy. “She could get hurt so easily! She can’t even move! Alex and Dylan do ‘tummy time’ with her and it’s just to get her to lift her head off the ground when she’s on her tummy.”

“Humans take longer to develop,” Charlie points out.

Ralph huffs again, casts a glance back at where Dylan and Alex are sharing something on Dylan’s phone. Alex is rocking the stroller back and forth, trying to keep the baby asleep. Ralph can’t believe how often the tiny human wakes up. It keeps him up. He’s never napped so much in his life. He’s never been so scared for another life.

“Can we say hi?” Peanut asks. “We’re going to be gone soon.”

“Humans don’t like you,” Rover says. “You or Trashcan. The last time my humans saw me with Trashcan, I thought they were going to take me directly for a rabies shot.”

“We don’t know if Trashcan has rabies.”

“We don’t know he doesn’t.”

A cry rings out, and interrupts the developing argument. Ralph is up on his feet in the next blink, trotting back to Alex, Dylan and their infant charge. Alex’s face is buried in Dylan’s shoulder and Dylan’s wearing his Alex Face, the one that makes him look like there’s nowhere else he’d rather be. Ralph still nuzzles at Dylan’s knee, then Alex’s. Alex reaches out to rub at his head.

“We have to get going, bud,” she says, and there’s so much reluctance in her voice. “We’ll come back later, okay?”

Ralph doesn’t mind really. It’s hard to mind when he worries so much about the squalling infant. Eventually, Dylan huffs and reaches out to scratch at Ralph’s head too. They only indulge him for a moment though, before Dylan pushes himself up to reach into the stroller. He settles the baby on his shoulder and rocks back and forth as Alex clips his leash to his collar. He trots alongside Alex and the stroller while Dylan carries the baby home.

Even as the baby gets bigger, Ralph doesn’t feel much better about leaving her alone. He’s with her, even when Alex or Dylan steps out to grab something, promising she’ll be totally safe for five seconds. She’s started to push herself up on her hands and knees, rocks there back and forth while she watches him trot into a patch of sunlight. She makes a gurgling noise that Ralph has come to learn is her way of learning to talk.

He’s just settled down in the sun, eagle eyes on her, even as his body relaxes. So he’s the one who sees her rock and gurgle, frown at him like he’s too far away. It makes him feel warm in a way that is not at all from the sun. He woofs back at her softly, watching her rock back and forth, back and forth.

Then she puts her hand in front, followed by a knee.

Ralph’s head comes up, alert. He woofs again.

The baby lets out a high pitched sound that Ralph has associated with joy. She’s still rocking, right up until she puts her other hand forward, then shuffles her knee.

Ralph woofs a little louder.

There’s an excited screech this time.

Ralph feels on alert as she shuffles again which is the moment Alex steps back into the room. She gasps and almost drops the bottle she’s carrying. “Dylan!”

Ralph is on his feet in an instant, worried that she shouldn’t be shuffling, that she’s not safe now that she’s moving.

“No, no, Ralphie. Stay there. It’s okay, it’s okay.”

Dylan comes skidding into the room and smack dab into Alex’s back. “What? What is it?”

“Ralphie. Ralphie call her.”

Ralph has no idea what Alex is trying to say. He cocks his head to the side, eyes on Alex until the baby squeals again. Ralph woofs.

She rocks, puts her hand forward, shuffles.

“Oh my god.” That’s from Dylan, and Ralph feels the awareness rush through him again. He’s not totally sure why. “She’s crawling.”

Alex laughs, the happy watery one that says something amazing just happened. “We have to baby proof.”

Dylan groans.

**Author's Note:**

> Another "extra" advent fic. This is what happens when Em is left alone for a year with a writing goal.


End file.
